Enclosures and partitions, collectively enclosures, are often used to separate portions of a building or room during construction, renovation or maintenance projects. An enclosure serves as a barrier to dust, noise, light, odors, molds, mildews, etc. An enclosure separates the work area from areas that need to remain clean. For example, an enclosure can protect immuno-suppressed patients in a hospital from exposure to potentially harmful molds and bacteria that are released during building repair or maintenance. More simply, an enclosure can prevent construction debris and dust from entering a living space.
A simple enclosure includes a sheet of plastic or cloth that is nailed, screwed, stapled, taped or otherwise affixed floors, ceilings, and abutting walls. Alternatively, prior art teaches a spring-loaded jack system that secures the sheet in place without damage to floors, walls or ceilings. These simple enclosures can contain large particles during projects but, because of relatively large openings do little for very small particles, such as molds.
Large openings can permit the release into the air during and after a project of potentially dangerous amounts of airborne particulates, mold spores, bio-aerosols, gas phase pollutants and odors. By way of example, molds and fungi are often present in dark, humid areas, such as ceiling tiles, ventilation ducts or pipes, and can cause diseases such as aspergillosis. Aspergillosis includes allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis, pulmonary aspergilloma and invasive aspergillosis. Colonization of the respiratory tract is also common. People in a suppressed immunologic state are particularly susceptible. In such people, aspergillosis can result in death.
The Center for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, Ga., USA has recognized that hospital construction and renovation projects pose particular risk to immuno-compromised patients, who may inhale airborne pollutants. Hospitals and other health care facilities have begun using portable enclosures that isolate construction, renovation and maintenance areas from patients. These units often include collapsible frames that support physical barriers. The enclosure should extend from the floor to the underside of the floor above. The unit should include gasketed doors with self-closing latching hardware and dampened walk-off mats both inside and outside of the construction area. The enclosure preferably includes a filter. The filter may include a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter maintains a negative air pressure in the enclosure relative to the rest of the area and simultaneously scrubs the air of contaminants. Alarms should signal any loss of negative pressure in the enclosure. In this manner, airborne hazards can be isolated from patients.
Present commercial enclosures include rigid enclosures and collapsible enclosures, and comprise one or more plastic sheets stretched around a frame. The sheets often comprise woven polyolefin. The frame may include plastic or metal tubing. Prior art frames can be difficult to disassemble or collapse, and workers often are reluctant to disassemble the enclosure once installed. Wheels may be provided to move the enclosure, whether assembled or collapsed, from place to place. The filter may be placed inside or outside the enclosure. Because the floor of the enclosure is typically no more than about 3×5 feet, placing the unit in the enclosure limits the usable space for the workers. Despite the desire to contain the air-borne particulates, present enclosures require workers to penetrate the physical barrier provided by the enclosure for electric cords, cables or other required facilities. Such penetrations typically by-pass the security measures manufactured into the enclosure. The penetrations permit contaminants to escape from the enclosure and so compromise patient health and safety.
A need exists for a portable enclosure suitable for hospital use that is easily collapsible and substantially completely isolates patients from construction, renovation or maintenance projects.